Travel Guide for the San Francisco Bay Area & Beyond!

The San Francisco Bay Area is surrounded by some of California’s best vacation destinations.  Whether you are looking for the perfect mountain retreat, romantic coastal getaway, wine tasting or water skiing on a crystal clear Alpine lake, you are just a few hours away from your perfect vacation destination. In fact, the Bay Area has so much to offer that it can be a little overwhelming for both the out-of-town visitor and local explorer alike.

That’s where Explorer1.com’s travel guide comes into play. We organize the best of what the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond has to offer. Whether you are looking indoor or outdoor activities, fine dining, places to stay, events and festivals, or a quick overview to determine which destination will best meet your travel plans – we can help you find it fast. And unlike the cold, calculating algorithms that create Search Engine results and the multitude of Visitor Bureau Websites that are mandated to promote their locations and due paying members, Explorer1.com is free to independently experience vacation destinations in California and then express our own, unbiased opinions about the services and activities that we encounter there. Yay us!

So go ahead explore! From Explorer1.com's homepage you can quickly review the Bay Area & Beyond's  top travel picks and get a quick glance at the region’s major events & festivals, top seasonal activities, and some urgent travel advisories. Want to dig deeper into a specific travel destination? Great! Just go to one of our featured destinations like Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Sonoma or Lake Tahoe and discover all that it has to offer.

Destination Spotlights

As the weather becomes cooler and the fall harvest moon shins bright, we would like to discuss some great Bay Area activities. Activities that are not only fun, but can be done with proper social distancing.

Starting in September, Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay and Watsonville become awash in orange as the local pumpkin patches ready their goods for the spookiest of the holidays.

If Halloween isn't not your cup of tea, then visit a location like Napa and Sonoma Valley wineries. It is harvest time after all!

October is generally one of the warmest months on the coast — perfect for beach combing or just sitting by a firepit sipping on your favorite beverage. Warm days and chilly nights make for very romantic getaways or incredible family retreats.